DTB loses group final against USA

Henri Squire lost three match points and lost to Reilly Opelka.
IMAGO/HMB Media

The German men’s tennis team will go into the final round of the Davis Cup as group runners-up after a defeat against the USA. At the end of a remarkable week with two clear victories, the strong, weakened selection lost to the USA in Zhuhai. Since debutant Henri Squire and Maximilian Marterer lost the duel for group victory, the Germans had no chance of success after the singles. The US team is therefore first in Group C.

With Marterer’s 4:6, 2:6 against Brandon Nakashima, the decision had been made and the doubles became meaningless. The Nuremberg native was unable to build on his previous performances. Squire had previously come close to winning in his Davis Cup debut. However, the 23-year-old lost to Reilly Opelka 7:6 (7:4), 6:7 (9:11), 3:6 after missing three match points.

Kohlmann renounces Hanfmann

Given the 3-0 result against Slovakia and Chile and the already secured qualification for the Davis Cup finals, team manager Michael Kohlmann was somewhat surprised to have omitted Yannick Hanfmann. The world number 187 Squire initially kept his cool for a long time against the former top 20 player and 2.11 meter tall serve specialist Opelka and showed a strong debut.

In the tiebreak of the second set, Squire had three match points, one of which was on his own serve. But at that precise moment he made a double fault – just as he did a little later on the second set point against himself. On the match point against Opelka, who was serving, the Duisburg player had no chance.

Quarter-final opponents still open

The German selection will therefore face a group winner in the quarter-finals of the finals in Malaga from 19 to 24 November. The draw will take place next week.